Cherilyn Mackrory, Member of Parliament for Truro and Falmouth, has welcomed the Prime Minister’s announcement of a new vision for bus services, which follows confirmation last year that Cornwall will be one of the first beneficiaries with a reduced fares bus pilot scheme.
In September last year the Chancellor confirmed a £23.5m funding package over the next for 4 years for a “Reduced Bus Fares” pilot to support Cornwall Council’s ongoing commitment to improving bus for its residents.
Today the Prime Minister announced £5 billion of new funding to overhaul bus and cycle links for every region outside London, setting out a new vision to level up local transport connections throughout the country, making every day journeys easier, greener and more convenient.
Nationally, the package of investment will boost bus services by focusing on a range of priorities, set to include:
Higher frequency services, including evenings and weekends, to make it easier and less restrictive for people to get around at any time of day
More ‘turn up and go’ routes where, thanks to higher frequency, people won’t have to rely on timetables to plan journeys
New priority schemes will make routes more efficient, so that buses avoid congested routes and can speed passengers through traffic
More affordable, simpler fares
At least 4,000 new Zero Emission Buses to make greener travel the convenient option, driving forward the UK’s progress on its net zero ambitions
Cherilyn said:
“I look forward to May of this year when Cornwall will be the first rural area to be given the opportunity to run and fund a pilot scheme like this one to bring down the cost of travelling by bus. “
“My predecessor supported the bid to the Department for Transport and it will both help existing bus service users and encourage more people to afford to switch to public transport in order to access education, employment and social activities, all in a greener and more sustainable way than travelling by car.”
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said:
“Local transport connections have a truly transformative role to play in levelling up infrastructure across the country.”
“Our daily journeys for work or leisure are about so much more than just getting from A to B – they are the key to accessing skilled jobs and opportunities, boosting businesses and unlocking economic growth for towns, cities and regions across this country.”
“That’s why improving connectivity by overhauling bus services and making cycling easier than ever is such an important step forward, to make sure every community has the foundations it needs to thrive.”
Today’s new 5-year funding package builds on the Government’s determination to make buses work better for their passengers. The details of these programmes will be announced in the upcoming National Bus Strategy, to be published later this year at the Comprehensive Spending Review, and follows the allocation of £170 million last week to support more electric buses, increase rural mobility and trial new ‘Superbus’ services.